Theme: The feast of Ascension is a reminder of Jesus being the hope and salvation.
Scripture reading: Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 46: 2-3, 6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mt. 28: 16-20
A very poor family by the name of Carpenter, lived in a village in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The oldest boy of the family was given an education in the city, with the help of some family friends, who generously financed his studies when they realized he wanted to become a doctor. The boy graduated with honors but declined all job offers to practice medicine in the city. He decided to go back to the mountains, where there were many sick people and few doctors. For many years, he ministered to the sick. Some people paid him but most couldn’t. He gave his very best and helped everyone he could. In his old age, he was not in good health and almost penniless. Two small rooms above the town grocery store were his home and office. At the foot of the stiff stairs leading up to his office was a sign with these words: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.” One morning someone climbed those stairs to find their devoted doctor dead. The entire community was plunged in grief. They wanted to erect some kind of monument to him. But they decided to simply write these words on a large tombstone: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.”
Today, on this Ascension Sunday, the Church proudly displays the placard of hope and salvation: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs!” But unlike the doctor boy who died, Jesus –the Divine Doctor of our souls – is alive and continues to heal people and bring salvation to all people! Yes, “Jesus, the Dr. Carpenter is upstairs!” This is the day in which Jesus ascended to the heavens, as a culmination of the glory of the Resurrection on which Jesus gave the mission mandate of preaching His Good News to the entire world. In our proclamation of the Apostles’ Creed, we affirm: “… He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty!”
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is a declaration of hope and salvation for his followers. 1. The Ascension reminds the glory and majesty of the Lord: The ascension is an event that reminds the glory and majesty of the Lord who is sovereign over all. The Lord ascended into heaven. In the Bible, we have incidents of persons being taken up to heaven. Enoch was taken up by God: “Then Enoch walked with God and he was no longer here, for God took him” (Gen 5:24). Elijah went up: “As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between Elisha and Elijah, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2Kgs 2: 11). Mother Mary was ‘assumed’ into heaven, body and soul (Dogma of the Assumption). However, Christ ‘ascended’. It was His power that made Him to ‘go up’ to the heavens. This is a tremendous demonstration of His Divinity, His Glory and His Power!
2. The Ascension radiates hope to the suffering and optimism to the distressed: The Ascension is an event which radiates hope to the suffering and optimism to the distressed. The interesting saga of Christ’s life; beginning with His simple yet powerful event of His Birth. His ordinary yet impressive event of His ministry. His agonizing yet impactful event of His passion and death. His glorious and spectacularly amazing event of the Resurrection. We find its joyful and resplendent finale in His Ascension to heaven. This is a beautiful exhibition of a life lived in faith and commitment, even while going through the barbed wires of pain, humiliation, suffering and uncertainty; it has a splendid and magnificent ending!
3. The Ascension urges us in our commitment to be Missionaries for the Kingdom of God: The Ascension is an event that urges us in our commitment to be Missionaries for the Kingdom of God. The Lord’s concluding words to His apostles constituted a binding mandate “to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation”, to be an instrument of His power to cast out demons, to speak in new tongues, to endure poisons, to lay hands on sick and restore them to recovery. This is a dutiful reminder of how the Lord trusts and has immense confidence in each one of us to be the proclaimers of His word.
“Dr. Carpenter is upstairs!” epitaph reminded people that Dr. Carpenter cared for them. He died penniless while serving them wholeheartedly. “Our Lord, the divine doctor is upstairs” reminding us that he is truly divine. He overcame suffering and death. He is sitting at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is our hope and salvation.
Jesus wants us to proclaim this hope and salvation to the nations. The mission command is binding to all of us. The feast of ascension is a reminder of our commitment to be missionaries for the kingdom of God. Are we proclaiming Jesus, the hope and salvation to the world?
Fr. Alex D’Mello
Kindly note: I had preached this homily long ago. Currently, I do not have a source for the anecdote.
